DINU DAN ©

“STURGEON WATCHERS” VOLUNTEER PATROLS TO PROTECT STURGEONS IN

© WWF-Ukraine / Inna Hoch

This activity was part of the LIFE project "Sustainable protection of lower sturgeons by preventing and counteracting poaching and illegal wildlife trade" (LIFE FOR DANUBE STURGEONS, LIFE 15 GIE/AT/001004), focused on Bulgaria, , Serbia and Ukraine. WWF and project partners gratefully acknowledge funding support from the European Commission. All content and opinions expressed in this publication are solely those of WWF and project partners.

‘Sturgeon Watchers’ was undertaken in the Ukrainian from 2017 to 2020 as a network of volunteers, able to support enforcement agencies in their activities protecting migrating sturgeons. The volunteers received theoretical and practical training and attended field missions to protect sturgeons on their migration routes. The main objectives were: (1) to discourage sturgeon poaching; (2) to increase awareness among the local fishermen regarding sturgeon; (3) to monitor and ensure the safe migration of young sturgeon downstream to the .

METHODOLOGIES

1. THE EXPLORATION PHASE defined: Recruitment criteria. From the 2nd the target area — around Vylkove, where Mission onwards, the volunteering most poaching was expected to take place; scheme included highly motivated people the partners — initially the Danube from various fields. Volunteers were Biosphere Reserve (DBR), the State Border screened more thoroughly to assess Guard Service and the Fish Patrol; experience and personal motivation. the implementers — initially fishery and agriculture students from Kherson State Training procedures. These were Agrarian University and Odessa State elaborated from on-site training (1st © WWF-Ukraine / Mila Arsenyuk Ecological University. Mission) to tailor-made online training videos and presentations. 2. THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE: Three missions took place between June Length of patrols. Missions were 2017 and July 2019, with volunteers generally five-day patrols. Due to the accompanying partner agencies in their high number of applicants, the 3rd enforcement activities, and assisting DBR Mission was implemented as two scientists in monitoring natural consecutive five-day patrols, to cover the reproduction of sturgeons. entire migration period of young With each mission, the means of meeting sturgeons. © WWF-Ukraine / Inna Hoch the aims were continuously improved: Partners. Besides those listed at the exploration phase, the Black Sea Fish Patrol started supporting the activity from 2019. Scientists from the South Institute of Marine Ecology and Oceanography

supported the scientific monitoring. V O

Awareness-raising. Volunteers also L U

participated in the celebration of Danube N Day (29th June), taking part in education T E

activities. This created goodwill with local E R inhabitants and raised awareness of P

sturgeon. A T

3. THE HANDOVER PHASE: One R O

unexpected outcome of the first three L missions was the high level of interest shown S T

by DBR, which agreed to gradually take over O

the scheme. In July 2020, DBR jointly P

organized the 4th Mission with WWF. The R O

5th Mission (in 2021) is to be organized T

© WWF-Ukraine solely by DBR. E C T S

RESULTS T U R

Creating interest among civil society ‘Sturgeon Watchers’ also contributed to G E

to support sturgeon conservation. improving inter-agency cooperation. This, in O Information work with the partner turn, has enhanced the control of poaching. N S universities raised interest among students I in relevant fields. Additionally, the social Illegal fishing prevented due to N media posts of a famous journalist and volunteer missions. In the 1st Mission, a U

© WWF-Ukraine / Tetiana Karpiuk K stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus) was blogger who attended the 2nd Mission R helped raise awareness and contributed to freed from a fisherman’s net and released A I the high number of applications for the 3rd back into the Danube. In addition, increased N E

selection (96 applications). awareness of sturgeon protection led to the resignation of the head of a local fishing 2

Volunteers bring added value to the company, who was suspected of involvement 0 2

authorities. Selection and training were in poaching. In the 2nd Mission, joint 0 improved from mission to mission to ensure monitoring resulted in the stop of the herring that volunteers had the necessary fishing season to protect sturgeons on their background information and the required downstream migration. In the 3rd Mission, 3 © WWF-Ukraine / Inna Hoch skills and motivation. out of 10 fishermen’s catches that were controlled by the joint patrols included Raising motivation and engagement sturgeons, and 5 adult stellate sturgeons Components among enforcement authorities. The were released. highlighted for motivation of law enforcement agencies for joint patrols and also for sturgeon protection DBR taking over the volunteering replication: increased considerably. Because several scheme. One especially positive response volunteer selection enforcement and monitoring bodies are from a partner agency was that of DBR, who procedure; preparatory involved in the training and field work, the agreed to take over the volunteering scheme. capacity building courses and material; winning support of local agencies; encouraging cooperation CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS between agencies; transfer of ownership (to Awareness-raising and volunteers can Initially, most Ukrainian authorities did not WWW. DBR), resulting in the support the protection of sturgeon. Young cooperate on patrolling and monitoring. project’s sustainability; sturgeons have a rather low market value and One outcome of the project is the increased are caught only as bycatch. Therefore, awareness raising cooperation in the missions and that agencies DANUBE-STURGEONS.ORG activities on site; media awareness-raising and soft pressure through now work more closely together. the volunteers were enough to obtain results. coverage by involving Transfer of ownership must be ensured journalists. Participation of civil society can have a to achieve long-term commitment. The positive influence on law enforcement. transfer of responsibility from WWF to DBR points to a success in ensuring the sustainability of the project.

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